Hey out there, Myrtle Beach! Cool Cat is swinging by to give you the knowledge you need to keep your pipes clog-free. Did you know there are lots of things people flush that shouldn’t be anywhere near your toilet like tooth floss and cotton balls? If you’re guilty of flushing things other than toilet paper, you need to check out this list before you end up with a major clog! Here’s the lowdown on what you should never flush down.
1. Cotton Products – Cotton balls, cotton pads and Q-tips, to name just a few, are cotton products you should never flush. They are made to absorb water and don’t break down in the sewer or septic system the way toilet paper does.
2. Feminine Products – Feminine products are made to absorb liquid and swell but they aren’t made to break down easily in the old plumbing.
3. Baby Wipes – Baby wipes should never be flushed but also, even so-called flushable wipes shouldn’t be flushed either. The problem is they clump up and don’t break down in water the way toilet paper does, eventually forming a major clog.
4. Dental Floss – While it’s fairly common practice, you should never flush dental floss. Dental floss tangles up with other debris and forms a sort of net that catches more and more debris until you have a serious clogged up situation.
5. Hair – Just like dental floss, hair can tangle up with other debris and form a net of sorts that continues catching up debris until your plumbing is totally blocked up.
6. Paper Towels & Tissues – Much like baby wipes, these products aren’t made to break down in your plumbing system so they clump together and create clogs.
7. Medication – Despite what some medication disposal guidelines say, you should never flush old medications. First, it adds toxins to the water system, which can have detrimental impacts on the environment and wildlife due to contamination. Second, most medications are not made to dissolve easily in water, creating another form of debris that can get caught up in clogs in your sewer lines.
8. Cigarette Butts – Talk about contamination! Cigarette butts are filled with hundreds of toxins that leach out into the water supply and create contamination. They also tend to swell up in water and can contribute to clogs.
9. Kitty Litter – Even so-called flushable kitty litter is a big time no. Why? Today’s most common toilet models don’t use enough water to flush the kitty litter properly through the pipes. This leaves wet and sticky cat litter sitting in your plumbing just waiting to cause a clog.
10. Dead Fish – When your fishie friend goes belly up, plan a burial instead of a flushing. Mr. Fish’s body will eventually degrade but it takes a while and during that time, he can get caught up in the mess of the other items in this list and contribute a smelly and slimy component to your clog situation.
Do you regularly flush any of the items on this list? Now that you know better, you can choose better before you end up with a nasty clog or worse, a sewer back-up into your home. Yuck-o! If you do have a clog, call the cats at Carolina Cool. They have the latest tools and technology to bust up your clog fast and get your plumbing flowing again.
